# Good beginner pipe?



## DirtyBlackSocks (Jan 6, 2011)

Peterson System Standard Rusticated (307) P-Lip Pipes at Smoking Pipes .com

Byron offered me this along with some other goodies are a great price shipped - what I have right now are the pipes you see sitting in the wicker baskets at smoke shops for $25.

Does this guy have a good sized bowl on it? I don't need anything massive like 4 grams, but I'd like to be able to know I can make a bowl last a solid hour or so if I pack it to the brim.

Is this a good pipe to get serious with? I currently smoke Snow Flake and Relax - which I'm not sure are blends of, but they're high quality tobacco's imported from Europe.

Are there any tins I should be looking into or just go with this stuff?

Also - I've been told to keep RH at around 40% - is there anything out there that actually DOES that, or should I just keep my stuff in an air tight acrylic jar with no type of humidification (I live in Southern California, humidity out here is normally around 40% anyway) for freshness?

Also - are pipe screens absolutely necessary for smoking outdoors? (The metal caps you see for sale that say they're designed for outdoor smoking) or is it just a gimmick? Do they really work?

Currently I can't get a bowl to last me more than 45 minutes tops and that's burning real easy. I've been taught how to pack a bowl and break them in, I just attribute it to having a cheaper pipe and wet tobacco.

Unknown to me I was keeping my tobacco at 70% RH, so there was a lot of relighting after each tamp.


----------



## cp478 (Oct 23, 2008)

I dont worry about the humidity as pipe tobacco can be rehydrated if it dries out.


----------



## User Name (Feb 11, 2011)

Im in your area and I keep my tobacco in glass mason jars, and they hold up fine. It's really hard to dry out the tobacco here like you said, so I really don't seal the jars with hot water or anything. If you age the tobacco in the jars, the ageing process with actually create a small seal itself.

When I first receive my tobacco, I always leave it out overnight, sometimes for two nights. Right before I smoke my tobacco, I dry it out on top of my direct tv box, right over the air vents.

I use mason jars because of those times when the weather fluctuation real badly, kinda like recently where it was 80 a couple of days ago and now its raining.

I've also kept some pipe tobacco in ziploc bags that have maintained freshness for about 2 months now. 

I can't get a bowl to last me longer than 30 mins, but thats because I pack loosely to make sure I have a good starting draw and pack as I go with the tamper.

I just go by how my tobacco feels, I don't worry myself with numbers. Rh isn't as big of an issue with pipe tobacco as it is with cigars. Thats just me though.


----------



## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

1. That's about an average size bowl now a days. 

2. It's a great pipe, but system pipes require a bit more cleaning than a standard pipe. They have a reputation for smoking cool and dry, however. Check with Andrew (Jack Straw) he knows system pipes very well.

3. Check out the newbie trade. Best way to get a selection of tobaccos to try for the price of a tin or two.

4. If you put the tobacco in a mason jar it will stay at whatever moisture it is at for pretty much forever. In the pipe tobacco world we pretty much play moisture by feel. If you squeeze a bit of tobacco between your fingers and it sticks together for a second and then springs apart, that's a good place to start. If the tobacco is too moist, leave a bowls worth out to dry before you smoke it until it is where you want it to be. Different tobaccos dry at significantly different rates. If it is too dry, try blowing on it a bit and the moisture from your breath can rehydrate it if it is not too far gone. If you need to rehydrate a large amount, you can place the tobacco in a bowl and lay a moist towel over it (not touching the tobacco.) This process can take anywhere from overnight to several days depending on the tobaco and how far gone it is. Different people enjoy different blends at various levels of moisture from fairly moist to nearly crispy. Play around a bit and you'll find out what works for you.

5. Don't use pipe screens them myself, so I can't help on that one. Smoking outside in windy conditions can be a dicey proposition, however.

6. 45 minutes in actually not a bad length for an average size bowl. With a slow burning flake folded and stuffed you can get longer burn times if that is important to you. However, maintaining a bowl with a folded and stuffed flake is not the easiest thing for a beginner. Or just let the pipe cool, run a few cleaners through it, and fire up a fresh bowl.


----------



## WWhermit (Nov 30, 2008)

I live in Southern California too. I keep my tobacco in mason jars. They've been fool proof. I'm not a fan of keeping tobacco in any plastic containers, acrylic or otherwise. Eventually the tobacco will taste plastic-ish. Others will probably say otherwise, but for me, mason jars just take all the risk out.

Petersons are good pipes for your level of pipe smoking. I'm not a big fan of P-lips, but others love them. They are quality pipes though. I just think it's difficult to feed a pipe cleaner down the stem during mid-smoke if you need to soak up a bit of condensation. I also didn't like the way it directs the smoke to the roof of my mouth, but others see that as a real advantage. There is less risk of tongue bite that way, but I feel if you learn to smoke a pipe correctly (taken me several years) that isn't a factor anyways.

I think it's a decent sized bowl, and I say go for it. Looks like a decent one.

I live up in the mountains, and it gets pretty windy up here. I've never used a wind cap on my pipes, and never had a burnout as a result of the wind.

Hope this info helps a bit.

WWhermit
ipe:


----------



## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

Consider that Peterson plusses - a classic, well made, rock solid, bulletproof pipe in the average/compact size range and average/heavy weight for size. It will last 500 years if well treated. 

And the minuses - it is dipped in stain which means the stain-soaked bowl will taste like crap for many smokes (to me) unless/until you sand, soak or smoke it all out. The stem is also of the P-Lip variety; the P-Lip is usually a love it or hate it thing - fine if you love it, suckkie of you hate it. And it has a sump drilled out inside the shank to catch moisture; it will smoke dry until the sump is full of ooze and, most likely, will not pass a pipecleaner into the bowl. You need to clean out the sump thoroughly when it's soggy (which is no big deal - just slightly more disgusting and time consuming than swabbing out a conventional pipe).

Both the Pete system pipe and the P-Lip stems are things that people are not usually so-so about. I think you are heading into something with less than a 50% likelihood you'll enjoy it a year from now. Pathological Peterson P-lip/system smokers may disagree in good faith. I've tried Pete P-Lip and system pipes and do not like them; I have a few conventional Petes and (except for the stain in the bowl thing) I think they're great.

This is a very personal thing. I'd rather smoke a $5.00 cob than a system/P-lip pipe. And there are plenty who'd smoke that pipe for 40-years and say it is the finest pipe they ever owned.


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Personally, I don't like the Peterson System. I have a Flame Grain that is basically a lousy smoker at least in part because of the "system". I have also encountered several others who have draft hole height problems in their Peterson pipes like mine, which leads me to believe they'll send a less-than-satisfactory pipe out the door as a first line pipe. My Flame Grain has the draft hole drilled entirely too high off the bottom of the bowl. I attempted to correct the problem with pipe mud, but it required a wad the size of a small pillow to get it up to the draft hole -- solved the problem for a while, but it fell out the other day when I dumped my ash out and that'll be the end of that pipe in my rotation until I figure out some way to deal with it. You could get a similar crappy pipe, although it might be a good one, who knows? 

And back to that "system". I'm not alone in thinking it's a loser. It fills with liquid, making it a "dangerous" operation to smoke the pipe since any little flick of the wrist or tilt dumps a bunch of liquid back into the bowl -- disgusting. You also have to empty it before you can dump the ash, otherwise, as before, it dumps the collected liquid back into the bowl -- disgusting. You also have an extra operation to clean out the little chamber after smoking the pipe, which wouldn't be that big a deal if it did anything worth while. I think it's merely another gimmick. 

I know Peterson makes good pipes, but apparently their mistakes also hit the market as first line pipes. I know Peterson makes pipes without the built-in cesspool, but I'd still never buy another one. One bitten, twice shy, as they say.

There are any number of really nice pipes in that price range. I'd say scout around some more.


----------



## DirtyBlackSocks (Jan 6, 2011)

Thanks.

I plan on eventually having a large collection of pipes - I'm just trying to find a solid one in the mid range to begin with (i.e. not something that was just put together inside the cigar shop from spare parts).

I've also looked at this model Peterson Donegal Rocky (999) Fishtail Pipes at Smoking Pipes .com

To be honest cleaning spit and gunk out doesn't bother me in the least, I would compare it to a spit valve on an instrument myself - and having the smoke circulate at the roof is something I would be open to trying.

Can some one suggest a website witha large selection to browse through? I've tried Googling around but seem to only come up with sites that are limited to one or two brands, or very biased in their actual variety.


----------



## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

Pipes


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

DirtyBlackSocks said:


> Thanks.
> 
> To be honest cleaning spit and gunk out doesn't bother me in the least, I would compare it to a spit valve on an instrument myself - and having the smoke circulate at the roof is something I would be open to trying.


This pipe looks better and is cheaper to boot! (And doesn't seem to employ the cesspool system. Does it? Anybody know?)

I lucked out and got latrine duty for 6 weeks at basic training in the Air Force. My Peterson gives me flashbacks.


----------



## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

If you get a new production Pete you don't have to worry about the dip stained bowl as they no longer do that. You could ask the vendor before you order your pipe as there's no way to tell how long they've had it in stock.

As for all the Peterson haters, there are plenty out there. They do sell 2,000 pipes a week worldwide though, and have legions of loyal fans, so they must be doing something right 

If you'd like a Pete give it a try. I'd probably say stay away from the System pipes at first and go with a fishtail simply because it will be a more typical smoking experience and you are new to the pipe. The Donegal Rocky you linked to would be a good start. The only way to know if you'll like a p-Lip is to try it however.

One last point. I'd buy an estate from a reputable dealer like one of the following. If for some reason you don't like the pipe you'll be able to resell it for most if not all of what you paid for it. For example, Marty Pulver has an estate Donegal for $45 right now. Can't beat that.

english
Irish Estate Pipes at Smoking Pipes .com
SECOND HAND SMOKES Estate Pipes items - Get great deals on items on eBay Stores!

All that being said (and I love Petes) if you want to spend $50 to $75 for a new pipe you'll have a much greater selection of Savinellis to choose from in that range and they are great pipes as well.


----------



## Nachman (Oct 16, 2010)

As long as you are looking at cupojoes.com (the link Moo posted) I would look at the Nordings. they are in the same price range as Petes and Savs, and are excellent pipes. I like the Nording Nordings (most about $70), but they have a large variety of shapes and grades in Erik Nording pipes. The cheapest are the Eriksens at about $50 going up to as high as you want.


----------



## DirtyBlackSocks (Jan 6, 2011)

I think I may be in love

Stanwell Gilt Edged Sandblast Pipe #83 - stageb83


----------



## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Jason, I have that shape, but in a Golden Danish not the Gilt Edged. If it's not my favorite briar, it's close!


----------



## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

Mister Moo said:


> Pipes


Wow that's a great site thanks Moo Dan!


----------



## Max_Power (Sep 9, 2010)

DirtyBlackSocks said:


> I think I may be in love
> 
> Stanwell Gilt Edged Sandblast Pipe #83 - stageb83


I ordered my first briar from there yesterday. Aslo a stanwell, but a straight shape.


----------



## Max_Power (Sep 9, 2010)

Max_Power said:


> I ordered my first briar from there yesterday. Aslo a stanwell, but a straight shape.


And it just showed up 10 minutes ago. Sweet!


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

DirtyBlackSocks said:


> I think I may be in love


Now that's a winner of pipe! Never had one with a metal rim on it, but it sure looks dandy!


----------



## Jeff10236 (Nov 21, 2010)

Jason, I am a big Peterson fan (I have 4). I do like their System pipes quite a bit, however, I'd agree that as a beginner you'd probably be better served by a more traditional pipe.

Peterson makes many great pipes, and that Donegal would be a good one. I have a Killarney and a Kinsale that I particularly love. I am a fan of the P-lip, but there is nothing wrong with the traditional fishtail either. 

That Stanwell does look like a nice pipe. I have one Stanwell, and I do like it quite a lot. However, I don't think it is up to the quality of my Petersons. Not in fit and finish, not in feel, and definitely not in the smoking experience. Still, if you love the pipe, they do make nice pipes, just keep Peterson on your list for the future.

I have recently got into Savinelli, they are definitely worth a look. Nice pipes at nice prices. Nording also seems to have a lot of fans, and I want to give one a try myself.


----------



## bent-1 (Feb 3, 2011)

Great questions. The Peterson 307 is a good sized bowl, and the sump (moisture collections system) works well for most pipers. Just make sure to take a Q-Tip & clean it out after every smoke (sop up the moisture). Sometimes I'll dip it in rubbing alcohol to remove tar residue in the sump. The sump, aka well, (see picture below) is the pit straight down from the stem (where it fits into the bowl). Let the pipe dry for a couple hrs.

Wish I had time to answer further (off to work), but here's a good pipe forum with super nice members & good faq's.

Home Page


----------



## Rock31 (Sep 30, 2010)

Max_Power said:


> And it just showed up 10 minutes ago. Sweet!


Very nice! 1 day ship


----------



## bent-1 (Feb 3, 2011)

bent-1 said:


> Great questions. The Peterson 307 is a good sized bowl, and the sump (moisture collections system) works well for most pipers. Too much moisture in a pipe makes for a hot, nasty smoke, that's where the Pete shines, mitigates that effect. Just make sure to take a Q-Tip & clean it out after every smoke (sop up the moisture). Sometimes I'll dip it in rubbing alcohol to remove tar residue in the sump. The sump, aka well, (see picture below) is the pit straight down from the stem (where it fits into the bowl). Let the pipe dry for a couple hrs.
> 
> Wish I had time to answer further (off to work), but here's a good pipe forum with super nice members & good faq's.
> 
> Home Page


a pic of The Peterson System Pipe:


----------



## DirtyBlackSocks (Jan 6, 2011)

Y'know I'm still really on the fence about just going with a Peterson System - some of you might be grossed out by the fact that you have to collect up spit and gunk, but I was a Combat Medic in the Army so that's far from grossing me out.

I really have no problems with cleaning a pipe every time I use it - I do so with pipe cleaners anyway.

So aside from the cleaning situation is there a real downside to system pipes, or is it actually a pro in the sense that you get more pure draw of smoke?


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

DirtyBlackSocks said:


> So aside from the cleaning situation is there a real downside to system pipes, or is it actually a pro in the sense that you get more pure draw of smoke?


I don't like that the "well" fills with liquid that can slosh back down the draft hole into the bowl if you make a fast move. If you forget to dump the well before you dump the ashes, same thing -- the ashes come out along with the contents of the well. I use a little wad of tissue or paper towel in the well to keep that from happening, but just another little hassle.

I'm also not fond of the air hole that blows stuff onto the roof of my mouth, ie, the p-lip. I want the smoke to not blow on ANY part of my mouth, including the tongue. I want the smoke to enter my mouth into "free space" as it were. The P-lip makes that hard to do. Maybe it would be a good pipe to use as a crutch if you were experiencing severe tongue bite or something, but otherwise I don't see it making much sense.

I think my biggest gripe may be specific to me -- I have a LEMON of a pipe. I can't speak to how many they make per 100 pipes, but they have made at least one hopelessly inferior piece of junk and wasted a nice block of flame grain in the process. You could be next.

I've been trying to make this pipe work for 30 years. I have recently given up the quest. It's out of the game. Loser from the start. Shoulda bagged it long ago.

My Peterson pipe is the only bad pipe I've ever had, quite frankly, and I've had quite a few. (Well, there was The Pipe...)


----------



## pipesncigars (Feb 20, 2011)

Greetings, I am new to the forum. I have recently bought a Dr.Grabow as a beginner pipe. Any opinions on Grabows?


----------



## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

DirtyBlackSocks said:


> Y'know I'm still really on the fence about just going with a Peterson System - some of you might be grossed out by the fact that you have to collect up spit and gunk, but I was a Combat Medic in the Army so that's far from grossing me out.
> 
> I really have no problems with cleaning a pipe every time I use it - I do so with pipe cleaners anyway.
> 
> So aside from the cleaning situation is there a real downside to system pipes, or is it actually a pro in the sense that you get more pure draw of smoke?


I'd say go for it if it appeals to you. There's no way to know if you'll like it unless you try it.

Peterson System Pipes have been smoked and enjoyed by tens of thousands of smokers for about 100 years. Give it a try and see if you like it. If not, it shouldn't be too hard to sell or trade. If you need to get all of your money back if you do decide you don't like it buy a good estate System from Marty Pulver or Mark Malmburg and you should be able to get just about all (if not all) of your money back if you do decide to part with it.


----------



## Jack Straw (Nov 20, 2008)

If you want a system pipe, go for it! I have a few and they are all great smokers. The system does do what they say it will do. Of course there is an extra step involved in cleaning (you dump out the moisture, if any, and swab out the well afterward), but it doesn't get "gross" at all. I actually enjoy the process of cleaning the pipe even more than the ritual of packing a bowl, but I may just be weird.

As John touched on, the Peterson System has been the cornerstone of their lineup since they first started making pipes over a century ago, and still accounts for I believe a quarter of all their pipes sold. You don't have that sort of lasting success by accident. Of course, it will always have its detractors, but I say let them drink their haterade, more Pete's for those who want them!


----------

